Robin Keller EDC 102H September 20, 2010 Early Education It is well known that the early years of education impact the following years of life greatly. The information one learns during their elementary years will stay with them and provide a foundation for everything else one learns for the rest of his or her life. The teacher, the classmates, and the setting in which one learns also has a great effect on who that person is. My elementary school, Flanders Elementary, has a program called the constellation. The constellation is a group of students who shared the same class throughout their elementary years. As a part of the constellation, one has the same class members from first to fifth grade; the only difference is there is a new teacher and new classroom every year. I was a part of the constellation for my five years in Flanders Elementary and found that this greatly affected me as a student and as a person. In the beginning of first grade, most of my classmates were new to me. I only knew a few people from my kindergarten class, yet I quickly got to know the rest of my class. I became good friends with a few girls and was friendly with everyone who was in the class. We all got to know our teacher, Mrs. Smith, as well. It was the transition between first and second grade that differentiated my class, the constellation class, from the rest of my grade level. A few of the kids in my first grade class moved out of the constellation, yet the others remained the same. We had already spent the entire first grade getting to know each other, so when we went into the second grade classroom, everyone was already familiar. The only things we needed to adjust to were the classroom and our new teacher, Mr. Wight. The rest of the second grade had to adjust to new classmates in addition. Our class as a part of the constellation was almost secluded from the rest of my grade level. We had lunch and recess at a different time period. The other classes got to know the whole grade whether it was from being new classmates or from sitting together at lunch or playing together at recess. My class did not have the same opportunities to meet new people. Instead, we grew more and more comfortable with each other inside our own little group of about 16 children. I barely knew any children outside of the constellation besides a neighbor of mine and a few people on my sports teams. Without having the need to get to know my classmates every year, my class could jump almost immediately into learning new material. Whereas other classes spent time doing activities to familiarize themselves with their new class members, our class had already been learning with the same group of people for years. We knew exactly how we work together as a group. We were all more open and more willing to raise our hands because we felt comfortable around each other. Also, there were no missing pieces or overlaps in information that we learned because everyone in the class was at the same place and pace due to our being together for the past few years. My class always developed a close relationship to our teacher which is very valuable in an elementary school. I did not understand the effects that the constellation program had on me as a student until I reached middle school. In sixth grade I noticed how different it was to be unfamiliar with my classmates. I was hesitant and too shy to raise my hand and I had a much more distant relationship with my teachers. Socially I found that I had a harder time branching out to new people and instead was more comfortable staying with my same friends from my constellation years. The constellation provided me with a safe small environment to learn in for 5 years of my early education. I knew all of my classmates very well and was able to spend more time and more focus on my teachers and the material being taught. I felt safe with raising my hand to answer any question. I had my one group of very close friends from the constellation, a group of friends I am still very close with, yet I did not have a lot more contact with other students in my grade. This experience in the constellation affected my education greatly and also affected who I became as a person and a student.
EDC 102H
September 20, 2010
Early Education
It is well known that the early years of education impact the following years of life greatly. The information one learns during their elementary years will stay with them and provide a foundation for everything else one learns for the rest of his or her life. The teacher, the classmates, and the setting in which one learns also has a great effect on who that person is. My elementary school, Flanders Elementary, has a program called the constellation. The constellation is a group of students who shared the same class throughout their elementary years. As a part of the constellation, one has the same class members from first to fifth grade; the only difference is there is a new teacher and new classroom every year. I was a part of the constellation for my five years in Flanders Elementary and found that this greatly affected me as a student and as a person.
In the beginning of first grade, most of my classmates were new to me. I only knew a few people from my kindergarten class, yet I quickly got to know the rest of my class. I became good friends with a few girls and was friendly with everyone who was in the class. We all got to know our teacher, Mrs. Smith, as well. It was the transition between first and second grade that differentiated my class, the constellation class, from the rest of my grade level. A few of the kids in my first grade class moved out of the constellation, yet the others remained the same. We had already spent the entire first grade getting to know each other, so when we went into the second grade classroom, everyone was already familiar. The only things we needed to adjust to were the classroom and our new teacher, Mr. Wight. The rest of the second grade had to adjust to new classmates in addition.
Our class as a part of the constellation was almost secluded from the rest of my grade level. We had lunch and recess at a different time period. The other classes got to know the whole grade whether it was from being new classmates or from sitting together at lunch or playing together at recess. My class did not have the same opportunities to meet new people. Instead, we grew more and more comfortable with each other inside our own little group of about 16 children. I barely knew any children outside of the constellation besides a neighbor of mine and a few people on my sports teams.
Without having the need to get to know my classmates every year, my class could jump almost immediately into learning new material. Whereas other classes spent time doing activities to familiarize themselves with their new class members, our class had already been learning with the same group of people for years. We knew exactly how we work together as a group. We were all more open and more willing to raise our hands because we felt comfortable around each other. Also, there were no missing pieces or overlaps in information that we learned because everyone in the class was at the same place and pace due to our being together for the past few years. My class always developed a close relationship to our teacher which is very valuable in an elementary school.
I did not understand the effects that the constellation program had on me as a student until I reached middle school. In sixth grade I noticed how different it was to be unfamiliar with my classmates. I was hesitant and too shy to raise my hand and I had a much more distant relationship with my teachers. Socially I found that I had a harder time branching out to new people and instead was more comfortable staying with my same friends from my constellation years.
The constellation provided me with a safe small environment to learn in for 5 years of my early education. I knew all of my classmates very well and was able to spend more time and more focus on my teachers and the material being taught. I felt safe with raising my hand to answer any question. I had my one group of very close friends from the constellation, a group of friends I am still very close with, yet I did not have a lot more contact with other students in my grade. This experience in the constellation affected my education greatly and also affected who I became as a person and a student.